


I Swear I'd Die For Your Love

by Branithar



Series: Short Fics [12]
Category: Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Angst, Horror, M/M, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-23 12:03:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23344510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Branithar/pseuds/Branithar
Summary: Jawn convinces Awsten to go to a spooky farm with him.
Relationships: Awsten Knight/Jawn Rocha
Series: Short Fics [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1409368
Kudos: 5





	I Swear I'd Die For Your Love

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Better Man by 5 Seconds Of Summer.

Awsten wouldn’t call his parents strict. As long as he wasn’t being _stupid_ , they were chill. They trusted him to take care of himself and call them if he got in trouble, which he had done a few times growing up. They never yelled at him for it, so he considered himself lucky to have such awesome parents. 

The one thing they _were_ serious about was Green Creek Farm. From a young age they’d drilled into his head that he must _never_ go there. Not even when one of their rams escaped through the fence separating their properties one time. It didn’t wander more than a few feet away, but Mom was adamant that they just leave it. Awsten waited by the fence for the rest of the afternoon, trying to coax it back with handfuls of grass, but it just ignored him until Dad called him home for dinner. The next day, all that remained of it were bloody bones. 

He managed to avoid setting foot on Green Creek soil for a little over twenty years, an impressive feat if the dumbasses he went to school with were anything to go by. Too bad good things apparently don’t last forever. 

Awsten had always thought to himself that he would do fucking _anything_ for his boyfriend, Jawn. One summer, the universe decided to test that theory by killing Jawn’s cat. 

Awsten looked at his phone when it buzzed, surprised to see that Jawn was calling him since they both preferred texting. 

“What’s up?” he answered. 

“ _Tubbs died._ ” 

Awsten’s stomach twisted, first at how hoarse Jawn’s voice was, like he’d been crying, then at the awful news. “What?”

“ _She drank some antifreeze._ ” He sniffled. “ _We found some spilled in the garage._ ” 

“Shit…” Awsten tried to swallow back the lump in his throat. He’d always loved Tubbs, the huge orange mouser that guarded the Rocha family’s grain. She was the biggest and cuddliest cat he’d ever met and he felt sick at the idea of her dying in pain. Jawn liked to joke that Awsten only ever came over so that he could see her. 

“ _I’m going to Green Creek._ ” 

Awsten’s heart skipped a beat. He jumped up to shut his bedroom door, suddenly worried about his family overhearing the conversation. “Dude. No.” 

“ _She was only three,_ ” Jawn croaked. 

“I know, but…” Awsten lowered his voice. “Don’t go to Green Creek.” 

“ _I’m going tonight._ ”

Fuck. Awsten paced irritably, thinking. Tubbs was the best, but Jawn loved that fucking cat way too much.

“I’ll come,” he finally said. 

Jawn took a shuddering breath. “ _Thanks, man. I’ll come over at eight._ ”

“Whatever. Love you.”

“ _Love you too._ ” Jawn hung up, leaving Awsten to curse himself for being this stupid. Maybe when Jawn got here tonight he should just tell him his parents said no. 

“Hey, Mom? I’m going out with Jawn tonight.”

“Okay, sweetie!”

Fuck. 

Not everyone was as cautious as the Knights. At school, Awsten would hear stories about people who’d visited the farm, usually for dares, sometimes to bury pets. Death magic had been burned into the soil on the farm long ago. Anything you planted dead would make its way up as alive as you could hope for. Supposedly, this didn't just apply to plants.

Opinions on whether it actually worked varied. Most people said it didn’t, but a few people argued that they just weren’t going in far enough. They said that the barn was where the death magic was strongest, and the corn field closest to it was the best place to bury things. 

Awsten personally didn’t care if it worked. Bringing things back from the dead just seemed wrong. Nothing good could possibly come from fucking with nature like that. He didn’t think it was worth the risk, either. There were other stories about the farm. Stories about people who didn’t come back from their visits. 

Despite every instinct telling him not to do it, when Jawn drove over that night Awsten begrudgingly got in the car with him. 

He looked at the cooler sitting on the backseat. “Is that…”

Jawn nodded as they pulled out of the driveway. “I was worried about her…decomposing.” 

Awsten wrinkled his nose, turning back to face the front. “This is the worst idea ever.” 

“It’ll be fine. There’s a shortcut we can take.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve been there.” 

Awsten looked at him, shocked. “ _When?_ ”

Jawn shrugged. “In high school.”

“You never told _me_ about it.”

“Probably because you always overreact about...” Jawn gestured vaguely. “Supernatural shit.”

“No I don’t. You _under_ react.” 

Jawn shook his head. They sat in silence for a few minutes, eventually turning onto a dark road Awsten had never been down. 

“We’re here,” Jawn told him, pulling over and turning the engine off. 

“Do your parents know you’re doing this?” Awsten asked as they got out. 

“I’m an adult,” Jawn said, opening a back door to pull a shovel and the cooler out, “I can make my own decisions. Help me with this.”

Awsten took a handle and followed Jawn to a metal gate. Jawn pushed it open and stepped in. 

“Coming?” he asked, tugging on the cooler. 

Awsten shivered and stepped through, anxiety mounting. “You fuckin’ owe me for this.” 

“I know.” 

Guilt suddenly swept over Awsten. Jawn was dealing with enough without his own boyfriend giving him a hard time. 

They trudged in silence down a small path between two corn fields, carrying Tubbs between them. Awsten flinched at every noise, unable to shake the feeling that there were things watching them from the dark cover of the corn. Other resurrected pets, maybe, but it was too dark to make anything out. Why did Tubbs have to die on a new moon? 

“Nearly there,” Jawn said lowly. 

Thank god. The barn was just ahead of them now, a hulking, oppressive shadow. Straining his eyes to see, Awsten realised that there were a few shovels strewn around. He hoped that the owners had left them out of convenience, not because they got eaten by fucking…evil cows or something. 

They found a hole that someone else had dug and set the cooler down. 

“Lucky us, huh?” Jawn murmured, opening it. 

Awsten looked away as he pulled out Tubbs’ limp body and set it down in the tiny, shallow grave. 

“Help me with this?”

Taking one of the discarded shovels, Awsten helped Jawn push dirt over Tubbs. 

“How long do we wait?” Awsten whispered. 

“Uh…I don’t know.”

Awsten stared at Jawn. “What?” 

“It’s random, okay? Sometimes it takes like five minutes, sometimes it’s a couple of hours.”

“Fucking _hours?_ ” Awsten took a breath, reminding himself not to raise his voice. Something told him that making too much noise was a bad idea. “What the fuck, Jawn.” 

“It’ll be fine. I think it doesn’t take as long this close to the barn.” 

“Jesus Christ, dude.” 

“ _Sh!_ ” 

Freezing, Awsten listened. Something was making the corn rustle a ways off. 

“ _Look,_ ” Jawn hissed, pointing down the path between the corn rows. 

Awsten peered at the small, distant shape he was pointing at. 

“Maybe it’s a sheep,” he whispered hopefully. 

His hope vanished when the animal bellowed at them, a horrible, blood-curdling roar that chilled Awsten to the bone. 

Jawn grabbed his arm. “The barn.” 

Awsten bolted after him, not sparing the animal another look as they made for the barn. He looked back as Jawn wrenched the door open, stomach dropping when he saw the animal bounding after them. Jawn yanked him in, barely managing to pull the door shut as the animal threw itself after them, crashing into it. It snarled and scratched at the wood, pounding on it a few more times before growling and falling silent. 

“What the fuck is that?” Jawn panted. 

“It had horns, like a ram,” Awsten said, looking at the shovel still in his hand, “Rams don’t run like that, though.” 

“No shit.” Jawn looked around the dark barn. “What now?” 

“Wait here until tomorrow?” 

Awsten spun around at the sound of growling, spotting a sliver of starlight through a side door at the other end of the barn. He yanked Jawn behind the tractor in the middle of the barn, hoping the animal hadn’t seen them. 

Listening intently for the sound of its investigative snuffling, they slowly made their way around the tractor. Awsten kept his shovel at the ready and hoped to god that it would be enough. The door came into sight and he looked back into the darkness, listening again for the animal. Could they make it to the door before it caught up with them?

Jawn fell against Awsten, making him stumble and curse. 

“ _Awsten!_ ” he screamed. 

Awsten whipped around to see the animal dragging him towards the door by his leg. He raced after them, tripping over some discarded tool and falling. The animal pulled Jawn outside as he screamed and thrashed. 

“ _Jawn!_ ” Awsten pushed himself to his feet and raced out. 

They’d made it a few feet outside before the animal started tearing at Jawn’s shoulder, holding him down with a clawed paw. Awsten yelled and swung at it, the shovel clanging off a curled horn. The animal roared at him and he aimed lower, this time hitting its leg. Screeching, the animal jumped back and bounded into the corn, injured leg tucked to its chest protectively. 

“Come on,” Awsten said, falling to his knees beside Jawn, “We gotta get out of here.”

Jawn groaned as Awsten pulled him up, slinging an arm over his shoulder and standing. They hobbled back in the direction of his car, Awsten constantly looking back too see if the animal was following them.

After a minute, Jawn slipped out of Awsten’s grip, collapsing on the dirt path. 

“Jawn.” Awsten knelt next to him, eyes searching the corn. “Come on, just a little further.”

“I can’t,” Jawn gasped. 

“Yeah you can. We can’t stay here.” 

“Leave me.” 

“ _No._ ” 

“ _Please._ ”

Awsten wiped at his face, realising that he was crying. “You’re gonna be okay.”

“No I’m not.” Jawn took a laboured breath. “I think I’m bleeding out. I’m dizzy.”

Awsten shook his head. “It’s shock. You’re in shock or something.” He pulled out his phone, hoping his parents were awake. They’d be upset that he came here, but they’d help. “ _Shit._ ” No signal. 

“I hope Tubbs is okay,” Jawn murmured, “Take her home if you see her, okay?” 

The tears kept flowing as Awsten pocketed his phone. “You’re gonna be fine.” 

Jawn rolled onto his back, his breathing getting shallower. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Awsten sobbed. 

Jawn’s eyes slipped shut. 

“Jawn?”

He didn’t respond. 

“Jawn.” Awsten nudged his arm, then pressed his fingers to his neck, finding a weak pulse. 

New plan. Awsten hooked his arms under Jawn’s and stood as best he could, pulling him backwards. It was slow and tiring, but it was all Awsten could think of. He dragged Jawn for maybe five minutes before lowering him to the ground again, exhausted. If the animal came now, there was no way he’d be able to fight it off. 

Awsten checked Jawn’s pulse again, his stomach turning when he found nothing. 

“Jawn?” 

Awsten took his phone out, shining the light on Jawn’s face as he pulled open an eyelid. No response. 

“ _Jawn,_ ” Awsten sobbed. 

He couldn’t leave his body here. He had to get him home. Awsten looked around, searching for anything that could help him. His eyes fell on a hole in the dirt a few feet into the corn, lit by the light of his phone. 

Standing shakily, he looked closer, realising it was pretty big. Whoever dug it must have been interrupted, their shovel was still there. Awsten picked it up and set to work on making it bigger, vaguely wondering what its intended contents had been. 

Awsten was soaked with sweat by the time the hole was big enough. He stumbled back to Jawn and picked him up the same way he had before, pulling him into the grave. Panting, he grabbed the shovel again and started pushing the dirt over Jawn’s feet, slowly working his way up his body. Even as he felt his hands blistering, he kept shoveling until every inch of Jawn was covered. 

When he was done, Awsten leaned on the shovel, breathing hard for a minute. A noise made him jump and raise it defensively, ready to hit whatever came out of the corn. Instead of the animal, a fat and extremely dirty orange cat stepped out into the open, meowing at him. 

“Tubbs?” 

Tubbs meowed at him again before seeming to notice the mound of earth in front of him. She sniffed at it and meowed questioningly at Awsten. 

Awsten sniffled. “He did this for you, you know. He wanted to bring you back.” 

He sat down and pulled his knees to his chest, holding a hand out to Tubbs, half hoping that she wasn’t evil now. Tubbs came closer, sniffing his fingers before pressing muddy her face into his hand. 

“Guess you had to dig yourself out, huh?” Awsten guessed, “Sorry.” 

Tubbs pawed at his knees until he put them down, giving her room to hop into his lap and curl up, purring contentedly. Awsten laid back, scratching at her neck absentmindedly. 

“Betcha can’t wait to get home and eat some mice. They’ve probably got the whole farm overrun by now.” 

As Awsten watched, the stars above them dimmed. 

“Must be morning,” he guessed, “We actually fuckin’ spent the night at Green Creek Farm.” 

The dirt beside him heaved slightly and Awsten sat bolt upright, Tubbs yowling and darting into the corn. A hand reached out and Awsten scrambled to Jawn’s side, digging the dirt away from his face. 

Jawn pawed at the dirt, coughing and spitting as Awsten helped him into a sitting position. 

“Awsten?” he croaked. 

“It’s me.”

“Fuck.” Jawn wiped the dirt out of his eyes. “Did I die?” 

“Yeah. I buried you.” 

“ _Shit,_ ” he murmured. His head snapped up. “ _Tubbs!_ ” 

“She’s fine, she’s been with me all night.” Awsten laughed disbelievingly. “You fuckin’ died and you’re still worried about your cat.” 

As if on cue, Tubbs peaked out from the corn, waddling out and meowing loudly at the sight of Jawn. 

“Tubbs!” Jawn reached out to scratch her cheek. 

Awsten shook his head, pushing himself to his feet. “Come on. I’ll drive you home.” 

Jawn groaned. “Can we go to yours? My parents are gonna kill me for losing a shovel and the cooler.”

Awsten pulled him out of the grave, helping him brush the dirt off his clothes before hugging him tightly. “I love you.” 

“Love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is another prompted fic. This one was "Death magic had been burned into the soil on the farm long ago. Anything you planted dead would make its way up as alive as you could hope for," from deepwaterwritingprompts on Tumblr. 
> 
> Happy CALM release day.


End file.
